Air-lift.



J'. P. SIMMONS.

AIB LIFT. APPLIOATI-Ol FILED JUIBIS, 1911. 1,033,278. Patented July 23,`1912.

I gln l Il. |||H (41 will `'ective spreading of the UNITED sTATEs PATENTOFFICE. j

JOHN P. SIMMONS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AIB-LIFT.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be 1t known that 'I, JOHN P. SIMMONS,

a Citizen 0f the United`States,-fresidig"i the city and county -otSanFrancisco and State of California, have invented certain foreignsubstances.

As the action of the air in raising a fluid is due wholly to thelightening of the airimpregnated columnand not to any ejecting force, itbecomes apparent that where,'as is usual, no special attention ispaid'to the distribution of the air at the bottom outlet of the airpipe, there will be no proper or efair bubbles throughout the liquidcolumn. But if this be attended to and the air properly distributed abetter effect is had.

My invention consists in the novel-construction and relative arrangementof the air and liquid pipes at their junction as I shall now fullydescribe by reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 isa vertical sect-ion of my airlift. Fig. 2 is a plan of the connectingmember l, the pipes being omitted.

Though my improvement is applicable to various arrangements of the airand liquid. pipes with respect to their connection, in practicalconstruction it takes the form ot' a single hollow member in which the,improved constructions are contained, which `said member is adaptedtoreceive in its top both the air pipe and the flow pipe, and to receivein its bottom the suction pipe. l is this member or casting. In its topit has l screwed into it the air pipe 2, and the flow pipe 3v. In it-sbot-tom is screwed the suction pipe 4.

The air pipe opening, designated by 5, leads down into the cavity of thecasting with a gradual widening laterally as shown by the dotted line inFig. 2, and a gradual contracting slope longitudinally as shown in Fig.1.

The cavity of the casting is formed in its Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed June 12, 1911.

Patented July 23, 19192. Serial No. 832,533.

upper portionawithan enlarged circular flhamber' connecting with thesmaller part of lthe air-pipe opening 5 and encompassing a downwardlyprojectinv' `flange 7 of the` flow-pipe-opening 8. T is langejots loweredge, is sloped upwardly away from the side of the air-pipe opening,that is to sayhthe side of the flange farthest from the air lnlet is theshortest. In the lower edge of the flange are madev all around it theair inlet grooves 9, which open from said edge upward.

The air entering the casting l from the pipe 2, will, under the pressureof' the liquid in the closed cavity of the casting, find the highestlevel`of the chamber 6 throughout its circular extent and will form anair pocket therein. The sup'plyfof air continu'- ing will cause thepocket to overflow, which overflow will iirstv take place at theshallowest rim of the chamber through the groove 9 at thatportion andpass into the liquid column in pipe 3 at that side. This groovenothaving capacity sufl'icient to 'pass all the air, the `\latter willnext reach and pass through adjacent grooves 9 in the direct-ion of thedeeper portion of the chamber rim, and so on until it reach-es andpasses through the groove 9 in the'deepest portion, which groove isnearest the air inlet. The chamber 6 is contracted, as shown -by the 4dotted line in Fig. 2, toward the side farthest from the air inlet,which construction also assists in passing some of the air through thegrooves nearest the air inlet. It will thus be seen that the air insteadof passing into the liquid Vcolumn in the flow pipe 3 by a single gulp,as it were, in the immediate vicinity of its entrance to the casting l,-is caused first to encircle the flow pipe and then to enter it innumerous little streams all around and well distributed, and to miX withthe column of liquid in4 divided form. As the cavity of the casting-leslop'es toward the bottom and the air grooves 9 also open downward,no sand or sediment Vwill collect to prevent a steady flow of air.

and said end being provided with an annular series of openings; and anair-pipe, the inlet oi"- which communicates with said' en circlingchamber at its deeper side.

2. ln an air-lift, a flow pipe having formed about its lower end anencircling chamber', said lower end projecting into said chamber withits lower edge sloped npwardly from one side to the other whereby thechamber is deeper at one side, andsaid end being provided with anannular series of grooves cnt upwardly from its lower edge; and an airpipe, the inlet oi' which communicates with said encircling chamber atits deeper side.

3. ln an air-liit, and in combinationwith its flow-pipe, air-pipe andsuction-pipe, a hollow member 'fashioned to receive the How-pipe and theair-pipe in its upper end,y

and the suction-pipe in its lower end, the cavity of said member beingformed at its upper portion with, an enlargement constin tilting acircular chamber encircling the fiow pipe connection and with a angeprojecting downward into yand forming the inner wall of said chamber,said flange being provided with a series of openings, and said iiangehaving its lower edge sloped upwardly from the air-pipe inlet to theoppo site side.

4. in` an air lift, and in combination'with its How-pipe, air-pipe andsuction-pipe, a hollow member fashioned to receive the iow-pipe and theair-pipe in its upper end, and the suction-pipe in its lower end, the

remera its lower edge sloped upwardly from the air-pipe inlet to theopposite side.

5. ln an air-lift, fa connecting member for the flow-pipe, air-ipe and`suctionpipe, consisting oi" a hollow piece,l receiving in its top theflow-pipe and the air-pipe, and in ite bottom the suctionepipe, saidpiece having its cavity nari-owing downwardly, with its air-pipeconnection side widening laterally downward, and said piece having itscavity formed at its upper portion vwith an enlargement constitutingacircular chamber encircling the dow-pipe connection and with a angeprojecting downward into and 'forming the 'inner wall of said chamber,said flange being provided with a series of grooves cut upwardly in itslower edge, and said iiange having its lower edge sloped up wardly fromthe air-pipe inlet to the opposite side. v

ln testimony whereol3 l have signed my name to this speciiication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JGHN P. SIMMONS.

l/Vitnesses: l

WM. F. Eoo'rn,

D. B. RICHARDS.

